Spiralling childcare prices will be put under the microscope by the competition watchdog, as family budget are slugged with soaring living costs.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission will hold a a year-long inquiry into the childcare sector after costs jumped 41 per cent in eight years.
The government will spend $11 million on the investigation, which will begin in January, and will examine factors driving rising childcare costs and out-of-pocket expenses and recommend ways to ease financial pressures for families.
